“Yes, sir,” all six of them echoed.
“Today, we’re doing something different. You’ve all made strides with the empire, but to be ready for being an adept or magus, you need to know what our enemies might do. With that in mind, we will be starting to use the other nations today. Gregory, have you three played with other nations?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Then today, we will do things very differently. The three of you will play a free-for-all game— one of you per nation. It’ll be your choice who gets what nation, the land will be neutral, and the terrain will be a mix. The rest of you, set the board, and be creative with it.”
“Yes, sir,” all six replied, moving to do as commanded.
As they set the board, Paul spoke on, “During the game, you will explain what and why you are doing things. This isn’t about victory, but about showcasing each nation’s high points and exposing their vulnerabilities. Can you do that?”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory replied, Jenn and Yukiko in sync with him.
“Good. I want to see how much you know, and how well you can teach them.”
~*~*~
Gregory frowned at the board. This is what you get for letting them choose first... Yukiko went with her strength in Buldoun, and knowing magi were going to be hard to field, Jenn went with Limaz. Left me being slaughtered as Krogga...
“Do you see how difficult it is for Krogga to deal with the superior gear of Buldoun?” Paul asked the three apprentices taking notes. “That’s their biggest weakness. It’s their good fortune that we stand between their two nations, or else Buldoun may have conquered them by now.”
“They seem so weak,” Farin said. “Even Limaz is dealing with them without a great deal of trouble.”
“Their strengths are not on display here. That’s the problem of not having them face the empire. We’ll fix that tomorrow. However, there’s another aspect of Krogga that is difficult to deal with, and we’ll see that in a few more turns. Gregory, play for the long game.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory said, having been intending to.
A handful of turns later, Gregory’s army got nearly wiped out, but not as much as Yukiko would have preferred. Using his hasty retreat card, Gregory had his small units break off and move into the heavy woods he’d positioned his camp near.
“Well, he’s done,” Farin said.
“No, he’s not,” Paul shook his head. “This is the other aspect of Krogga that you need to understand and take to heart. Gregory, explain it.”
“Krogga’s army is made primarily of fanatics. It’s problematic for magi, but the other side of that is that just because their core is broken, it doesn’t mean they quit. At this point, most armies are done— the remnants would leave the field and head home or move back to regroup. Krogga just breaks down into smaller units and begins a war of attrition with hit and run tactics. Lighthand called it ‘guerilla warfare,’ and it can be devastating if they act intelligently. As you can see, the commander didn’t go down. I had pulled him back and, while that hurts morale, it also means he can rally his broken few and have them act in a coordinated fashion.”
“So, to beat them, we’d have to run down all of them?” Farin asked with wide eyes.
“Yes,” Paul nodded. “While you have another major opponent on the field that makes it all the more difficult. Gregory will now show you why Krogga being able to survive, even for a little bit of time, can significantly impact your army.”
“Sir,” Yukiko said, waiting for him to nod to her, “I’d like to point out that the smart thing for me to do now would be to pull back. It would invite Jenn’s army to move forward, and in doing so, put her closer to them. That would make it more likely that they raid her and not me. I could use my old camp, which is still defensible.”
“All fair points,” Paul nodded. “If we were doing more than highlighting the different nations, it would be a smart move. However, I’d like you to hold the ground you just took. We need to show them why your move would be the right one.”
“Yes, sir.”
~*~*~
The next few hours, Gregory did his best to harass and annoy both Yukiko and Jenn. It was late evening when Yukiko finally played a card she’d been holding onto for the past few turns.
“‘Battlefield diplomacy,’” Yukiko declared, playing the card.
“Rarely played, but this is an excellent time for it,” Paul nodded.
“Sir, I don’t know that card,” Farin said.
“It’s asking one of them to parley for a specific reason,” Paul said. “Can you tell me what that reason would be?”
Farin thought for a long minute before he spoke hesitantly, “To join up with Jenn to wipe Gregory off the map?”
“Yukiko?” Paul said.
“That is indeed what I am asking for. Considering he just took out half of her food in that raid, I have a high probability of being listened to.”
“I won’t even try to fight it. I need him gone,” Jenn said. “Leaving remnants of Krogga on the field is hindering my maneuverability. The bonus is that, since she asked, I can get a concession out of it. No doubt she’s thinking that I’m going to ask about some food, as that would be the obvious choice.”
“No, you want gear,” Yukiko said. “You could have upgraded your archers, but haven’t yet.”
“Correct.”
“That was my second offer, so accepted,” Yukiko pulled her extra superior bow gear from her stack and handed it to Jenn. “He dies now.”
“And that’ll be it,” Gregory sighed. “I did what I could.”
“You hindered them both for a long time,” Clover said with wide eyes. “I need to learn more about this.”
“You will, and you’ll have to play against them in the next few days, so study hard,” Paul said.
“Yes, sir,” Clover said crisply.
~*~*~
It was well into the evening when they left the hall behind.
“You could have won a couple of rounds after you took Gregory’s main force out,” Jenn said. “You delayed yourself to show them more, didn’t you?”
“Of course. That’s what we were told to do,” Yukiko smiled.
“Thank you for doing so,” Ling said. “I learned a lot by watching the game.”
“So did I,” Clover added. “I can’t wait to try Krogga for myself. Some of the advanced strategies make a lot more sense now.”
“They do,” Ling agreed. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Thank you for helping us grow.”
“It’s what friends do,” Jenn smiled. “Pushing each other to grow stronger and helping while doing it.”
“Not that we’re doing a lot of that for you,” Ling sighed.
“But you are,” Gregory said. “We’re learning how to explain things better, which will make it easier for us next year.”
“Next year,” Clover said, her normally bright voice dim. “That will not be a good year... No clan, no troops except what they can find for us.” She shuddered. “No more friends...”
Gregory felt like he’d watched someone kick a puppy. “Hey now, chin up. That’s still a ways off. Who knows what might happen between now and then? Some clan might hear about how well you’re doing in the class and take an interest.”
Clover looked at him with hopeful eyes. “You really think so?”
“Yeah, yeah I do,” Gregory said. “You and Ling are growing fast, and learning even faster. Some clan will scoop you up before the year is over.”
“That is hopeful,” Ling said, going to stand beside Clover, who had stopped walking. “I will hold to that hope, and maybe even hope for more— that it’ll be a good clan that won’t discriminate against us too badly because of our heritage. If one is to dream, they should dream for the moon.”
“They should,” Jenn said softly. “And if they dream hard enough and work even harder, they might even catch their dreams. I did.”
Yukiko and Gregory gave her loving smiles.
Clover’s
smile grew wider, as she could see the love that they had for each other. “That’s so cute.”
“It is,” Ling nodded. “Come on. We should get some food, a bath, and then sleep, Clover.”
“Yeah,” Clover said as the two of them turned away from the others.
They watched the pair go and smiled at their backs before heading for the clan hall.
“Do you think a clan will really pick them up?” Yukiko asked Gregory.
“Yeah. They’re both serious about trying to grow, and they’ve been making great strides toward it.”
“Is that because of you or Darkness?” Jenn asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe both? I do consider them friends. If no one else approaches them by the first tournament, I’m going to see if Dia is willing to.”
“That’s a good idea,” Yukiko smiled.
“I agree, too,” Jenn nodded.
Chapter Forty-one
Weeks zipped by for them— the games sometimes ran late, but other times, someone made a mistake and their matches ended early. They were glad for the early days, using the extra time to train their bodies and their magics. Gregory didn’t use his foresight when playing in class, as he wanted to get a good feel for the tactics.
Gregory’s birthday came and went with little celebration, as they’d been in a long class that day. The staff had made a small cake for them to enjoy, but only the three of them and Velma had gotten to eat any of it.
They had their second week off shortly after that, and now, it was almost over with. The grueling sparring against members of the Hardened Fist taxed them nearly to the limit every day. Magus Vemril continued to bring in different magi to help her, mixing the combination of magics daily. They won a match occasionally, but lost more than they won. Every fight taught Gregory, Yukiko, and Jenn something new.
Mindie worked hard on those days, since accidents and injuries happened with each bout. She was surprised at the tenacity of the group, but also how they never devolved into finger-pointing. Each of them took the blame when a mistake of theirs cost them the match, even if they were being mended by Mindie at the time.
When the fifth day of sparring with Vemril came to an end, Gin told them they had the last two days to do with as they wished. They had dinner with the clan that night before retiring to their room, each looking forward to two days outside the walls of the academy.
~*~*~
“Good morning,” Daciana grinned. “Going outside today?”
“Yes, and we’ll be at Gin’s tomorrow morning when you get there,” Yukiko replied. “I don’t know if we’ll have another week off before the tournament, so we’ll drill you hard tomorrow.”
“We’ll be prepared,” Nessa said, taking her seat. “Vicky’s been coming along fast. You might be surprised by her.”
Victoria smiled softly. “I don’t know about that, but I am trying very hard.”
“Ness is right,” Daciana said. “You’re improving quickly, Vicky. The three of us are rapidly becoming the best in the class. Even Magus Igorson admitted it.”
“Have the clans approached you all now?” Jenn asked.
“We’ve had more ask to speak with us,” Nessa nodded. “Vicky has been invited to speak with the Iron Hand and Hardened Fist, as well.”
“I do not want to join the Hardened Fist at all,” Victoria shuddered. “They are ruthless and cold... All they care about is the money for the contracts. The Iron Hand has something they strive for at least, but I won’t join them, either. The three of us already know where we want to go.”
“Dia hasn’t approached us at all,” Daciana said, her ears twitching. “She will, right?”
Jenn put her hand on Daciana’s arm. “I’m sure she will after the tournament.”
“They’re waiting so we don’t get an even larger target placed on us by some of the other clans,” Nessa reassured Daciana. “Just wait. It’ll be okay. We wouldn’t be trained the way we have been if they weren’t interested in us.”
“She’s right,” Victoria nodded, “though I can understand the worry.”
“I’m not worried!” Daciana said quickly. “I just wanted to make sure.”
Gregory’s lips twitched, and he managed to keep the smile off them. “We have studying to do and, while we won’t be here tomorrow morning, I’m certain you three will be.”
“Of course. We stick to our training regimen unless we’re watching you train,” Nessa said.
“Speaking of, it’s time for Magi Squares,” Yukiko said. “Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”
“Yes, Yuki,” Nessa said.
“Okay,” Daciana nodded.
Victoria smiled at how deftly Yukiko had gotten the other two focused on work. “Understood, Yuki.”
~*~*~
The adept on duty at the gate had been surprised at the rank showing on their medallions, but let them go out without issue. Once they were outside the walls, they jogged to Gin’s home. The sun was just barely cresting the horizon as they jogged and the city was slowly waking up around them.
“Maybe we should have told them we were coming?” Gregory asked.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Yukiko said.
Something about her tone made Gregory give her a sideways glance.
It didn’t take them long to reach Gin’s. Yukiko had been a little ahead of them, so she was the one who knocked. They waited for a few minutes before the door opened.
Baylyss gave them a smile when she saw who it was. “Magi, it’s good to see you again. Please, come in.”
“Good morning, Baylyss,” Gregory greeted the older woman. “Is everything okay here?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I guess there isn’t a reason... I just got used to Elsa being the one to answer the door.”
“She would have, but I had just given her another task to complete,” Baylyss replied. “Are you here for the day?”
“And night, if that’s okay,” Yukiko smiled. “We’d also like to stay the following day, though we’d leave shortly after the novices do tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure the room is prepared for you while you train in the garden,” Baylyss said. “I’ll let the children know you are here and get them gathered for you while you change.”
“Thank you,” Gregory said.
“Of course. Follow me, please.”
~*~*~
They were changed and on their way to the garden in short order. Both women wore smiles and exchanged glances behind Gregory’s back.
When Gregory stepped into the garden, he faltered. All of the children were lined up, holding up a sign that read, “Happy belated birthday, Sensei.” Elsa was in the middle of the group with a large smile on her face.
“Thank you,” Gregory chuckled. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
“I set it up with Dia yesterday after training,” Yukiko giggled. “We will train like normal, but otherwise, we’ll be celebrating your birthday. Elsa is making a cake, I believe.”
Elsa’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I will be doing my best.”
“I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” Gregory smiled. “I’ll look forward to it, as I’m sure the rest of you are, huh?”
The other children gave a chorus of agreement to his question. Yukiko and Jenn joined in a second later, making Elsa’s blush deepen further.
“First, we have training,” Gregory said, helping Elsa out. “After the Peaceful Fist, we’ll have you all do some sparring, okay?”
That got a cheer from the children. They set the sign aside and took their places.
~*~*~
“Good. That was good,” Gregory said, moving onto the mat. “Do you understand how she did that to you?”
The little boy picked himself up and nodded. “I went too far, and she used that to grab me.”
“You overextended on your punch,” Gregory agreed. “That broke your balance and, when she grabbed you, you didn’t have the leverage you needed to stop her from throwing you.”
&nb
sp; “Excuse me, magi,” Baylyss said from the doorway. “It should be time to bathe before dinner.”
“Of course,” Gregory replied. “Everyone, rise. Bow. Dismissed.”
Jenn and Yukiko left the room, leading the girls toward the bath. Gregory took a seat on the floor of the room as he watched them go.
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